Community updates

Supervisor Sandra Lee Fewer

The month of May brought us warmer weather but, unfortunately,

took my voice! I am on the road to recovery after having lost my voice for several

weeks – I apologize that I have not been as available as I’d like to be for

constituent outreach and community events.

Commendations

In May, I proudly presented commendations to two incredible Richmond District

long-time gems. I honored the Community Youth Center for APA Heritage

Month; their phenomenal civic engagement program develops youth leadership through

community service by supporting recent immigrants and educating residents and

businesses on disaster preparedness.

And for Small Business Week, I recognized the Plough and the Stars, which opened on

Clement Street in 1975 and has been a beacon in the Irish-American music community.

The Plough and the Stars was honored by SF Supervisor Sandra Lee
Fewer in May during Small Business Week. Pictured are Elena
Pearse Hobden (left to right); Plough and the Stars’ owners Lisa
McLaughlin and Sean Heaney, Fewer and Eoin Malone Hobden. Courtesy photo.

As one of a handful of live music venues in our neighborhood, the Plough and the

Stars remains a vibrant part of the city’s music scene and an integral

part of the Richmond. In the neighborhood

This month we launched the “Fewer potholes project,” in partnership with SF

Department of Public Works and Richmond District Blog, to engage the

community in identifying potholes in the Richmond in need of

repair. As of Sunday, we received a grand total of 66 submissions,

which have now been passed on to Public Works to begin repairs in June. I also

celebrated with the mayor and Public Works the paving of Fulton Street

(24th Avenue to La Playa), and added another repaving project – the badly

needed repaving of Crossover Drive, which is now in the works.

We hosted the 10th annual Richmond Community Health Festival this year, co-sponsored

by Assemblymember Phil Ting and community partners, including Kaiser Permanente,

Richmond Area Multi-Services, Inc. (RAMS), Compassionate Community Care and

Self-Help for the Elderly. We kicked off the festival with lion dancers and

Russian performances and continued with Tai Chi lessons.

More than 500 people attended, predominantly seniors and families, to access

linguistically and culturally competent health resources. More than 50 community

partners were present, offering information about Covered California and

MediCal along with healthy living tips; I personally was able to get my blood

pressure and glucose levels tested.

Thank you to all who came to our district office hours to share concerns and news about

the neighborhood. We have had some great events this month.

The Richmond District Neighborhood Center organized a successful street festival

celebrating women’s art and activism on Clement Street. The Housing Rights Committee

had two events: one to celebrate the purchase of a multi-unit apartment building by the

Community Land Trust, ensuring tenants can stay in their homes; they then hosted a

powerful west-side tenant convention.

I visited the phenomenal Heron Watch program at Stow Lake and also celebrated

with neighbors at the Sutro Elementary School’s Shared Schoolyards event. And I joined

the Balboa Village Merchants Association, Public Works and Muni to cut a ribbon

recognizing the Balboa Village Improvement Project, sprucing up the neighborhood

and contributing to a vibrant business corridor.

Budget, legislative updates

In May, I sponsored two hearings, one on the city’s Language Access Ordinance

and the other on litter and waste. I look forward to discussing the next steps

with city departments and community stakeholders.

On June 26, at City Hall, Room 250, at 1:30 p.m., there will be a hearing on the city’s

Small Sites Acquisition Program. Learn about the city program to acquire small sites

for affordable housing development.

For more information, please contact my aide Nick at (415) 554-7412.

I proudly co-sponsored SF Supervisor Malia Cohen’s resolution calling for a

task force under the city treasurer’s office to study the feasibility of a municipal

bank in San Francisco. A public bank could better represent our values with regards to

investments, and allow us the opportunity to finance large-scale projects in the City, like

100-percent affordable housing,

Infrastructure improvements and community investment.

I hope you join me at an upcoming neighborhood office hours:

• Friday, June 2, 10 a.m. – noon, Park Presidio United Methodist Church, 4301 Geary Blvd.;

• Sunday, June 11, 10 a.m. – noon, Argonne Elementary School, 680 18th Ave.; and

• Friday, June 16, 10 a.m. – noon, Park Presidio United Methodist Church.

May and June are full of celebrations but perhaps none as profound as graduations and

promotions. Congratulations to all the graduates and their families!

San Francisco Supervisor Sandra Lee Fewer represents District 1.